QUEER SCREEN’S MARDI GRAS FILM FESTIVAL 2018 ​is​ ​a​ ​celebration​ ​of​ ​LGBTIQ  creativity​ ​and​ ​an homage​ ​to​ ​ ​ ​history​ ​as​ ​Queer Screen ​brings​ ​the​ ​best​ ​and​ ​most​ ​diverse​ ​LGBTIQ​ ​content to​ ​the​ ​big​ ​screen.​ ​

Announcing​ ​the​ ​first​ ​10​ ​‘teaser’​ ​films​.

MGFF18 puts​ ​the​ ​spotlight​ ​on​ ​Australia’s​ ​established​ ​and​ ​up​ ​and​ ​coming​ ​filmmakers​ ​with​ ​a retrospective​ ​of​ MY QUEER CAREER ​ ​–​ ​Australia’s​ ​largest​ ​competition​ ​for​ ​LGBTIQ​ ​short​ ​films, hosted​ ​each​ ​Mardi​ ​Gras​ ​Film​ ​Festival​ ​by​ ​Queer​ ​Screen.​ ​For​ ​more​ ​than​ ​two​ ​decades,​ ​​ MY QUEER CAREER  ​has​ ​unearthed​ ​the​ ​latest​ ​and​ ​greatest​ ​Aussie​ ​queer​ ​filmmakers.

Looking​ ​towards​ ​the​ ​future,​ ​the festival presents​ ​​JADE OF DEATH,​ ​a​ ​supernatural​ ​thriller​ ​which​ ​was recently​ ​awarded​ ​Best​ ​Drama​ ​Series​ ​by​ ​the​ ​International​ ​Academy​ ​of​ ​Web​ ​Television.​ ​Made with​ ​assistance​ ​from​ ​the​ ​Queer​ ​Screen​ ​Completion​ ​Fund,​ ​the​ ​cast​ ​includes​ ​rising​ ​young​ ​star Bernie​ ​Van​ ​Tiel.

Festival​ ​director​ ​Lisa​ ​Rose​ ​said:​ ​ “Queer​ ​Screen’s​ ​values​ ​–​ ​diversity,​ ​creativity,​ ​inspiration,​ ​inclusiveness​ ​and​ ​pride​ ​–​ ​have guided​ ​us​ ​through​ ​the​ ​last​ ​25​ ​years​ ​of​ ​producing​ ​film​ ​festivals​ ​for​ ​LGBTIQ​ ​communities​ ​and current​ ​circumstances​ ​mean​ ​they​ ​are​ ​now​ ​more​ ​valid​ ​than​ ​ever.​ ​We​ ​are​ ​delighted​ ​to​ ​be presenting​ ​our​ ​silver​ ​jubilee​ ​festival​ ​in​ ​what​ ​we​ ​hope​ ​will​ ​be​ ​the​ ​year​ ​when​ ​​same​ ​sex marriage​ ​becomes​ ​law.”

With​ ​more​ ​than​ ​a​ ​few​ ​parallels​ ​to​ ​Australia,​ ​​THE 34TH ​​ recounts​ ​Ireland’s​ ​campaign​ ​for​ ​marriage equality,​ ​which​ ​culminated​ ​in​ ​the​ ​country’s​ ​historic​ ​2015​ ​referendum.​

​The​ ​festival​ ​will​ ​also pay​ ​homage​ ​to​ ​Mardi​ ​Gras​ ​with​ ​a​ ​screening​ ​of​ ​a​ ​fully​ ​restored​ ​version​ ​of​ ​the​ ​renown documentary​ ​WITCHES AND FAGGOTS, DYKES AND POOFTERS ​about​ ​the​ ​78ers,​ ​the​ ​group​ ​of protesters​ ​whose​ ​march​ ​for​ ​equality​ ​morphed​ ​into​ ​one​ ​of​ ​the​ ​biggest​ ​gay​ ​and​ ​lesbian parades​ ​in​ ​the​ ​world. Gayle​ ​Lake,​ ​senior​ ​film​ ​curator​ ​at​ ​the​ ​National​ ​Film​ ​and​ ​Sound​ ​Archive,​ ​said:​ ​“We​ ​are​ ​proud to​ ​digitally​ ​preserve​ ​and​ ​restore​ ​​​ .​ ​Our​ ​NFSA Restores​ ​program​ ​ensures​ ​that​ ​important​ ​films​ ​such​ ​as​ ​this​ ​are​ ​preserved​ ​at​ ​the​ ​highest standards,​ ​making​ ​them​ ​available​ ​to​ ​cinema​ ​audiences​ ​once​ ​again.”

As​ ​always,​ ​MGFF18​ ​will​ ​showcase​ ​the​ ​most​ ​impressive​ ​films​ ​from​ ​around​ ​the​ ​world.

​​SIGNATURE MOVE ​is ​the​ ​most​ ​played​ ​lesbian​ ​film​ ​on​ ​the​ ​LGBT​ ​festival​ ​circuit this​ ​year.​ ​A​ ​multicultural​ ​rom-com,​ ​it’s​ ​about​ ​Zaynab,​ ​a​ ​Pakistani-American​ ​lawyer​ ​whose mother​ ​wants​ ​nothing​ ​more​ ​than​ ​for​ ​her​ ​daughter​ ​to​ ​find​ ​a​ ​husband​ ​and​ ​experience​ ​the love​ ​and​ ​happiness​ ​she​ ​once​ ​had.​ ​But​ ​Zaynab​ ​has​ ​other​ ​ideas​ ​and​ ​escapes​ ​to​ ​the​ ​world​ ​of Mexican​ ​lucha​ ​libre​ ​women’s​ ​wrestling​ ​instead!

The​ ​girls​ ​wrestling​ ​with​ ​their​ ​feelings​ ​in​ ​​ ​​SIGNATURE MOVE are​ ​joined​ ​by​ ​a​ ​young​ ​man​ ​walking a​ ​fine​ ​line​ ​between​ ​machismo​ ​and​ ​homoeroticism​ ​in​ ​BEACH RATS,​ ​our​ ​Sundance-award winning​ ​gay​ ​coming​ ​of​ ​age​ ​pick​ ​for​ ​the​ ​boys.​ ​Frankie,​ ​who​ ​has​ ​a​ ​new​ ​girlfriend,​ ​is​ ​torn between​ ​real​ ​world​ ​hyper-masculinity​ ​and​ ​the​ ​hidden​ ​homoeroticism​ ​of​ ​flirting​ ​with​ ​older men​ ​online​ ​in​ ​this​ ​moody,​ ​angsty​ ​teen​ ​drama,​ ​set​ ​during​ ​a​ ​sultry​ ​summer.

 THEY,​ ​a​ ​non-binary/trans​ ​arthouse​ ​title​ ​from​ ​Cannes,​ ​tells​ ​of​ ​14-year-​ ​old​ ​J,​ ​who​ ​has​ ​been​ ​on hormone​ ​blockers​ ​to​ ​delay​ ​puberty​ ​while​ ​they​ ​explore​ ​their​ ​gender​ ​identity,​ ​and​ ​now​ ​must finally​ ​decide​ ​if​ ​they​ ​want​ ​to​ ​transition.​ ​It’s​ ​a​ ​stunning​ ​meditation​ ​on​ ​the​ ​nature​ ​of​ ​gender, cultural​ ​identity,​ ​and​ ​the​ ​importance​ ​of​ ​family,​ ​crafted​ ​by​ ​Iranian​ ​director​ ​Anahita Ghazvinizadeh​ ​and​ ​executive​ ​producer​ ​Jane​ ​Campion.

French​ ​feel-good​ ​romp​ ​​KISS ME! ​brings​ ​all​ ​the​ ​charm​ ​as​ ​Oceane,​ ​who​ ​has​ ​had​ ​her​ ​fair​ ​share of​ ​broken​ ​hearts,​ ​meets​ ​Cecile​ ​and​ ​goes​ ​to​ ​any​ ​lengths​ ​to​ ​get​ ​the​ ​girl​ ​and​ ​keep​ ​her.

Meanwhile​ BODY ELECTRIC ​​,​ ​a​ ​sexy​ ​slice​ ​of​ ​life​ ​narrative​ ​from​ ​Brazil,​ ​brings​ ​the​ ​raunchiness.​ ​It takes​ ​an​ ​intimate​ ​look​ ​at​ ​the​ ​lives​ ​of​ ​a​ ​racially​ ​and​ ​sexually​ ​diverse​ ​group​ ​of​ ​friends​ ​as​ ​they take​ ​to​ ​the​ ​streets​ ​of​ ​Sao​ ​Paulo​ ​with​ ​carefree​ ​(dare​ ​we​ ​say​ ​“gay”?)​ ​abandon.

SATURDAY CHURCH ​ ​introduces​ ​us​ ​to​ ​Ulysses,​ ​who​ ​is​ ​expected​ ​to​ ​become​ ​“man​ ​of​ ​the​ ​house” after​ ​his​ ​father’s​ ​death,​ ​but​ ​clad​ ​in​ ​red​ ​high​ ​heel​ ​pumps,​ ​he​ ​finds​ ​himself​ ​pulled​ ​in​ ​another direction,​ ​specifically,​ ​towards​ ​a​ ​weekly​ ​meetup​ ​of​ ​gay​ ​and​ ​trans​ ​youth.​ ​Based​ ​on​ ​a​ ​real-life program​ ​in​ ​NYC’s​ ​West​ ​Village,​ ​SATURDAY CHURCH​ ​is​ ​a​ ​musical​ ​drama​ ​about​ ​finding acceptance​ ​and​ ​understanding​ ​and,​ ​unashamedly,​ ​being​ ​who​ ​you​ ​are.

The​ ​full​ ​festival​ ​program​ ​will​ ​be​ ​launched​ ​on​ ​10​ ​January,​ ​2018.

Tickets​ ​for​ ​the​ ​first​ ​10​ ​films​ ​are​ ​on​ ​sale​ ​now​ ​including​ ​flexi​ ​passes​ ​to​ ​5​ ​or​ ​10​ ​films.​ ​Queer Screen​ ​members​ ​receive​ ​discounted​ ​tickets​ ​and​ ​priority​ ​entry​ ​to​ ​movies.​ ​To​ ​become​ ​a member​ ​or​ ​to​ ​book​ ​tickets​ ​call​ ​(02)​ ​9280​ ​1533 or visit:   http://queerscreen.org.au​